


Control

by RicklePick15



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Battle, Brainwashing, Gen, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Mystery, Search, Steven can't get a break, Torture, eventually i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-24 16:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RicklePick15/pseuds/RicklePick15
Summary: Following the events of I Am My Monster, an ancient enemy emerges, one who is connected to the unspoken history of Homeworld. With their appearance, they bring a new set of challenges that will test loyalties and limits alike in a manner no one could have prepared for.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 11





	1. A Little Bit Off

It had been two weeks since his breakdown. Two weeks since he came to the conclusion that he was a monster. Although now he knows that isn't true, it still hurts to think about, that he had gotten that close to rock bottom. Since his realization that his claim was false, Steven had attempted to take his friends and family's advice and strive towards a successful recovery, both physically from his transformation and mentally. Physically, he turned out alright, a little sore here and there sure, but overall back to normal, aside from the now occasional, and quite literal, glow of his emotions. Mentally though, he knew was where the hurdle would be. Everyone knew that, especially after what he had said moments prior to his physical change. Some things were still difficult to convey and he still tossed the idea of a therapist around, though he'll admit, each day it seems more welcoming. For now though, he would focus on what he could do for a path to recovery. He was beginning to see people and gems alike while away from home and had attempted on several occasions to make a transition towards 'normal' or at least what counted for normal in his life (which these days, didn't seem like much compared to others). He would admit though, he still had off days. He'd honestly consider it weird if he didn't have them, considering the events of his life up until now. Unfortunately, while he had his off days, there were some days where even that was an understatement. Today was one of those days, yet he really couldn't figure out why.

The day had started fine, though he had a feeling it would be an off day (not in a bad sense, more in a way where you can feel like something is gonna happen at some point, but where, when, or what could only be guessed). Regardless though, he shook the feeling, gave greetings to the gems and went about his day. He had attempted to meet up with several individuals to catch up, Centi being one of them. He enjoyed Centi's company, even before his change and even during the days leading up to it, even though he rarely seen her outside of Little Homeworld. Once they met up in the early afternoon, he wanted to take a trip into the countryside to clear his mind and relax a bit. He offered the trip to Centi, who accepted as she had been meaning to travel outside of the town to view more parts of the Earth.

"It's still weird. I've been to space, seen all these different planets and different sceneries, and yet, nothing has quite topped this planet." I'll have to make a point to bring the crew out here."  
Steven chuckled, "I'm glad you like it Centi. I try to make it a point to make a trip like this every now and again. Enjoy the view, clear my mind, that kind of thing. Especially since...well, you know."  
Centi hummed in agreement, not wanting to push further on the sore subject, much like how the corruption of her and the other gems in Little Homeworld was often avoided as it brought up bad feelings for everyone.

The two of them found a good location and enjoyed the peacefulness of everything. By the time they had their fill, it was nearing dusk. Centi had chosen to stay behind and wait for her crew, as they had wanted to do some exploring around the cosmos for a bit. This left Steven driving home alone. He had texted the gems to let them know he was on his way back. He had been driving for nearly half an hour now when he to pull to a stop as there was a bit of blockage on the road in the form of animal remains. He hadn't remembered seeing this on the way over. Regardless though, it left a sour feeling with him. He never enjoyed seeing the dead, regardless of the form of the deceased. He had exited the vehicle to attempt to move the poor creature aside. A thought crossed his mind, hearing Connie and Pearl's insistence that he bring gloves in the car should this happen. He hadn't been able to forget that lecture of all the things that could go wrong without proper equipment. Once he had moved the carcass aside, he had pondered if he should use his healing powers to revive the poor animal. He tried to consider these things before making a decision, especially around deceased humans, as the 'gift' of a longer, potentially immortal life might not sit well with certain people. In the end, he had chosen to revive the creature. Once revived, the now pink creature seemed surprised, yet thankful for the second chance.  
After leaving the animal, he had moved back to the car, but something had halted his approach. The area around was particularly quiet. Although quiet wasn't out of the ordinary in the woods at this time, he couldn't help but notice how eerily quiet it was, as it was almost.....unnatural. He stayed paused to listen, when a twig snapping caught his attention. Unsurprisingly, this caused the boy to begin glowing pink. He was both cursing and thanking the power, as it provided a light source for the now darkening sky, but at the same time, lit up his presence for anyone nearby. Shortly after the twig though, he heard rustling in the woods nearby. _'Oh great, probably Bluebird again'_ , he thought. Though he would admit, it this was the fused gem, they were getting better at their air of menace, which for them, was saying something. Suddenly, something had sent him towards the dondai, making a metal dink as he collided with the car, no doubt leaving a dent behind. Who or whatever this was, it was quick. He hadn't even seen movement before he was hit. _'Ow....yep, that settles it....not Bluebird'_. Before his could make a motion for a counterattack of some kind, he was held up against the vehicle. Thanks to the pink glow, he could see that the individual was at least human shaped....or gem shaped really as they were thin enough to consider whether it was human or a pearl. The figure wore a dark gray shade of thin armor, covering from the neck down. He couldn't quite make out the face though as they wore a hood around it.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Before receiving an answer, he received a blow just above his gem, thankfully, from the figure, who was apparently deceptively stronger than their build would suggest. 'Gotta be a gem', he thought as he struggled with the pain from the sucker punch. Dropping him to the ground, the figure reached for their ear and spoke,

"My diamond, are you sure this is the one? I was expecting this to be interesting from what your description told, yet this is a cakewalk so far". Their voice was calm, yet low. It was unsettling to say the least for the scenario that Steven found himself in.

_'My diamond!?. Was this a gem sent by one of the diamonds? It couldn't be, they were getting along well with Era 3 and had come to love him. But then who...'._ Before he could finish his thought, the figure had finished the chat with 'their diamond' and grabbed Steven once again. Once at eye level once more, they made a move for another blow, a knockout if his currently in pain gut was to be believed. Before they could though, he acted on instinct and created a bubble, separating the two. Once apart, he dropped the bubble and moved to retreat. He'd rather avoid confrontation, especially in the setting he was currently in. The figure was quick, strong, and difficult to detect unless up close, thanks to the armor which had blended well with the dark environment. Before he could activate other powers or begin a proper retreat though, the figure moved to intercept. Losing the battle of speed, the distance was closed quickly and another hit had sent him flying towards the woods and through a few trees. Once he had settled in the dirt, the figure was still close enough to see.

"You know for the savior of the galaxy or whatever, this is kinda dull, but I suppose that's what happens when you get ambushed…takes the fun right out of it for both sides. No time to really settle on a plan, much less anything else. Pretty boring for the attacker too, I mean, it's an ambush, doesn't really involve much to do one of them. Oh well, hopefully my diamond will give me another shot once he's through with you".

Before Steven could even ask what that was supposed to mean, a final blow to the head had ended the fight and knocked him out, leaving him at the mercy of the figure, who had bubbled the young man and began moving deeper into the woods. Steven had been taken, the only evidence he was there was the dondai and the damage from the battle.


	2. Code Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Steven missing, the gems attempt to figure out just what had happened to the boy.

It had been three hours since Pearl had gotten the text from Steven saying he was coming back home. An hour after receiving the message, she didn't think much of it, figured he was stopped by someone or was running a bit behind. Two hours after, she began checking in with people he may have seen or talked to. Those who responded, Greg and Connie being among those, had denied talking or seeing the young man that day, which began spreading around a small thing of panic. Three hours after and Pearl was nearing a breakdown whilst attempting to locate Steven. She had contacted Amethyst, Garnet, and the B-Team to inform them of the situation. None of them knew of his whereabouts, which was unsettling since they tried to have at least one of them know his general location since his breakdown. They trusted the kid sure, but also felt it was their duty to keep an eye on him until he was in a better state of mind. With everyone informed of the situation, contacts were made to see if ANYONE knew where he was. Trips were made into town, calls were made and texts were sent, but no one knew anything. Dawn was beginning to arrive and with a fruitless search throughout the night, the gems were beginning to consider a wider range for the search when they had finally received some bit of info. Centi had responded rather late, but this couldn't be helped. She had been in space and the internet there had frankly been low, seeing as how there wasn't any (something that Peridot had wanted to fix to this day). Thankfully, Centi had knew of his last known location.

"The last I saw him, we were in the countryside near the woods. We went to site see, and we parted afterwards as the crew had picked me after shortly after he drove off."

After giving their thanks, the gems and any volunteers they could gather this late began a search of the countryside. After searching for a roughly an hour or so, they had managed to locate the dondai and the somewhat mangled area it was located in. Once everyone had gathered, they surveyed the area, which only led to more panic as time went by as the damage they had found both to the vehicle and to the woods did not leave a high note to go off of. The best clue they could come up with was a nearby pink animal, an obvious calling to Steven using his healing powers, but as for when this was done or even where, they couldn't really use that info. Despite their best efforts, there wasn't much at the scene they could use to help locate him. Whoever had attacked Steven had managed to leave little behind for them to work with. With the area accounted for and the gems none the wiser, they opted to return home and figure out a game plan, only to come to the conclusion that there really wasn't one available. Garnet could attempt to locate Steven via future vision, but that had proved unreliable before and it often took some time. They could all continue searching to see if anyone could even spot the boy. They even reached out to Homeworld for their assistance, much to the distain of the Crystal Gems, as they still harbored some sour feelings for the towering former tyrants from their actions over the last few thousand years. Upon hearing of Steven's absence, the diamonds had about the same reaction of panic. Once the group was able to set aside their feelings and focus, they had elected to begin their own search party, which involved checking other planets with warp pads, looking around on Homeworld, and sending a few volunteers to Earth to assist in covering ground. Aside from that though, all they could do was hope that he was alright and hope that they would find him soon.

5 months later

Steven was still missing. Despite their best efforts, the gems nor the diamonds could locate even an idea of the young hybrid in their extensive search. With everyone from the Earth side of things aside from Garnet, Connie, and Bismuth gathered in the main area of the temple, morale couldn't be lower. Garnet had shut herself out in her free time to continue searching, with little progress. Connie's parents had elected she stay their way to search and to use Lion should anything come up. They cared for Steven as they knew the feelings between the two children, but they still had to consider her well being (and had to literally step in to create a schedule for her since all her time had gone to finding him, which was getting to the point of ignoring sleep). Bismuth had elected to stay near Little Homeworld on the off chance they hear anything and also to help keep up with routines, which had taken a drastic change of pace once word had gotten around that Steven was missing. No one could shake the feeling of dread however, even if they were attempting to stay distracted as the fact that this is at least the second time within a year that the feeling of losing Steven had struck the group.  
Pearl had just finished checking up on Bismuth to both check in on Little Homeworld and to see if any new info was available, both of which were steady and unchanging. Once off the phone, she returned to the group.

"Anything?" asked Amethyst.

A sigh and her silence was answer enough, dragging the group down even more.  
Sometime had passed in the day, which was nearing the late afternoon when Garnet had come through the temple door with an energy not seen for months.

"I got something. I couldn't see Steven, but my future vision kept pointing to one place for now." 

"Where Garnet?" cried Pearl

"The moon".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, chapter two. Still feeling like its rushed, but honestly glad I can even attempt this and put it down at all, so guess I'll take what I can.
> 
> Hoping to have chapter three done before the weekend, if not on the weekend. Hard to tell really as second shift work sucks.  
> Thanks for reading everyone.


	3. Space Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the gems moving towards the moon base, what will they find that made the location so important to visit?

Once everyone, both at and away from the beach house, had been informed of the vision, they came to the conclusion that Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl would take the trip while everyone else stayed behind. The B Team would stay in case something happened or some new info came to light that required their attention and it was deemed best in terms of safety that the human element would stay behind. Although the moon base had an oxygen supply to use for those who needed it, the gems didn't want a repeat of tracking down someone in space, as they had to do with Steven all those years ago, especially since neither Greg or Connie had bubble powers to buy them time. Thankfully, getting to the moon was the easy part. Since Spinel's attack on the planet, the group had decided it best to reopen the moon base. A group of Peridots from Homeworld had volunteered to run the base, mostly so they could study the Earth's atmosphere and the effects of this 'climate change' that had intrigued them . They still kept on eye out for any potential hostiles, even though that chance seemed like it was unlikely to happen. Since its reopening, the group had a warp pad installed inside the base to allow a better form of transportation to and from. Once the group had informed everyone, the trio made their way to the warp pad and headed out. 

Once on the moon base, the first thing they noticed was how dead the place was. With the Peridots watching the base, they also took the liberty of giving it upgrades, such as adding lights so they didn't have to always use their gems as a light source. They also repaired the console that was smashed during the Cluster dilemma, which gave them access to the operations they needed. Since its completion, the base was usually buzzing with energy and commotion, as the 'Dots were moving here and there to report their findings and discover more. However now, the only energy in the place was the lights, which were still on thankfully. 

"What happened here? This place is a ghost town", Pearl noted.

"Eh, I'd say more ghost base P", corrected Amethyst, to which she earned an annoyed glare from the taller gem, something she hadn't seen in sometime. _'Fair enough, probably not the time or place',_ she thought.

"Spread out, see if we can locate the Peridots", commanded Garnet. "At least one of them has to be around still". Having to pick up as team leader once more seemed....odd for Garnet. She knew she could do it as she had done successfully for 14 years, until Steven had stepped up, both officially and unofficially since his presence and instinct alone was usually enough for the team to get the job done. Since then though, she had taken up an advisor role to the Crystal Gems. She was still a wealth of info and her future vision usually allowed her to help with most scenarios, on and off the battlefield. But now, we their current leader gone, she didn't have a choice, much like when Rose gave up her form or when Steven had his breakdown. She shook the thoughts and began her search.  
After some time, the Crystal Gems were unable to locate anything on the first floor, so they elected to move towards the top. The stairs had already been present, so they began their advance upwards. Upon reaching the second floor, the group noted that the room hadn't changed much, aside from any devices the Peridots may have added. After a quick look around, the group had met back up once they hadn't found anything out of the ordinary, aside from the missing science gems. 

"I don't get it, that group of Peridots were some of the better that Homeworld had offered. It isn't like them all to just disappear like this", Pearl pondered aloud. "No signs of a disaster, no message, nothing."

"Maybe they'd le------" whatever Amethyst was going to say was interrupted by a scream.

"That came from the top floor. Let's move", Garnet concluded.

Moving further up the stairs, the group arrived to find a Peridot running from the main platform on the other side of the room. A small poof a green dust was seen still present near the main console. Whatever was on the base seemed to be poofing the Peridots, which explained their disappearance. Before the green gem got far however, she had tripped in her distressed excitement, as the Crystal Gems saw a figure too far from the stairs to immediately identify walking towards the gem. 

"N-No p-please my diamond, forgi--" she was cut off as the figure had struck the gem and poofed her as well. Moving to bubble the gem, the trio moved to intercept. 

"You there, don't move", shouted Garnet. "Hands where we can see them, and back away from the gem".

With a chuckle, the figure ignored the order, bubbled the gem, and turned towards the group, who had moved closer. Once the figure was turned however, time seemed to freeze. The trio couldn't believe what they were seeing. 

Standing in front of them, with the still bubbled peridot and a grin on his face, was Steven Universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah more on that somewhat predictable plot twist next time (I'm sure somewhere out there thought of it). Regardless though, this chapter was better, in that I felt I could actually throw in some dialogue to help advance the plot.   
> Also, if any one hasn't noticed, the chapters have been named after songs. I dare you all to guess who its from each time. I'll reveal the song with the end notes each chapter from now on for anyone who cares to play along. And no, the actual song doesn't have any relevance to the chapter, just the title of it does. Thanks all, see you guys in the next one.
> 
> Chapter 1: A Little Bit Off by Five Finger Death Punch  
> 2: Code Red by ACDC  
> 3: Space Bound by Eminem


	4. Fallen Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven is alive and well, but why exactly is he on the moon base? And why does he seem...different?

The silence inside the moon base was deafening. No one dared move or speak for a few seconds as the process of events that were occurring were still being processed, mostly by the Crystal Gems. After a couple moments, it was Steven who had broken the silence.

"Hey guys, been awhile huh?" He says as he went and sent away the bubbled Peridot. "I'll admit, I wasn't quite expecting to run into you so soon."

Having been broken of their trance, it was Amethyst who had begun an investigation into exactly what was happening.

"Awhile?! Dude, you've been gone for months with no clue as to where or why. You dropped off the face of the Earth and didn't even tell anyone. And now you just show up out of the blue with a wardrobe change attacking those Peridots!?!

It was difficult to ignore the change of attire on the boy. Rather than wearing his signature star shirt and pink varsity jacket with jeans, it had been swapped out for what appeared to be a dark grey armor, thin enough it seemed to allow for decent mobility. The armor covered everything his normal clothing would, the only differences being that his feet were also covered, to which the Gems silently noted as odd since the boy rarely ever wore shoes that fully covered his feet, and that his gem was on full display as the armor circled perfectly around the outline of the now black gem, which was noted as a red flag by each of the Gems that they would attempt to figure out sooner rather than later. Alongside the armor was a piece of jewelry slightly above his sternum. They would have called it a necklace, but it didn't appear to be something that was separate from the armor. In the middle of said jewelry were three red dots with the middle one being noticeably larger.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It wasn't exactly my choice, but here we are now. As for the new clothes, the old ones got ruined. That, and I've taken a liking to these ones."

Noting his vague answer, Pearl elected to attempt to mother the boy, hoping that would give them better results.

"Steven, we've all been worried sick. Your father, the other gems,...Connie, they all miss you."

"I know and again, sorry. I'd like to see them all, really I would. But for the time being, that's not an option."

Before the trio could ask for more details on exactly what that meant or ask further questions, the center red dot on Steven's chest began flickering on and off.

Steven sighs, "Shards, didn't think that much time had passed." Reaching for his ear, he spoke quietly, the Gems only hearing a few things from his conversation. "Hey.....yeah, sorry......distracted. Yeah, it...them. You guys.....the Peridots? Alright, let....diamond know I'll.....shortly. Thanks". 

Lowering his hand and turning his attention back to his family. "Sorry guys, but I gotta get going. I'm expected elsewhere and I'd rather not keep them waiting."

He began walking towards the stairs only to be cut off by the trio, halting his movement.

"Sorry dude, but we can't let you leave. Somethings happened to you and we're gonna figure out just what that is", declared Amethyst.

"Guys, I'd really rather avoid doing this with you, so I'm asking you to step aside". The last bit seemed more like a command than anything.

"Steven, we just want to help. We can't just let you go, not after you've been gone for so long. We'd prefer not to have to bring you back by force, but we are not leaving without you" Garnet proclaimed.

Becoming visibly annoyed, Steven continued moving towards the stairs. "If you guys won't move, than I'll go around. I really don't have time for this right now." With that statement, he disappeared in the blink of an eye. Looking around, the Gems soon found he was already on the second floor. Chasing after him only led to the same thing happening once they were near, allowing Steven to have descended to the first floor in record time. He continued in the direction of the warp pad and was nearly upon it when the Gems got to the bottom floor. Realizing how close they were to losing Steven again, Garnet acted on the situation and spoke to the other two.

"Quick, destroy the warp pad. We can't let him leave." 

Humming in agreement, the two joined the fusion in summoning their weapons and launching a long range attack. The attack neared the warp pad and had made contact. However, when the dust settled, the warp pad was still intact, as a transparent grey bubble had been formed between the attack and its intended target. 

Now on the warp pad, Steven looked back at the gems. "Sorry guys. You'll understand what's happening soon, I'm sure of it. Until then though, I'd appreciate if you didn't interfere anymore. Say hi to everyone for me won't you." And with that statement, Steven had warped away, leaving the Gems wondering exactly what had happened to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, the Gems are left with more questions than what they had arrived with. As for Steven, well, we'll get there soon enough. 
> 
> Not gonna lie though, this chapter took me sometime to get by. I had the idea of what I wanted to happen, but I kept finding that I wasn't quite satisfied with it. Probably ended up rewriting at least 3 times, but glad I was able to get it out all the same.
> 
> Also, if anyone is wondering about an update schedule....I don't have one. I've literally just been in a writing mood lately. Never meant to have 4 chapters out in the first week of posting the fic, but whatever, still glad to be doing it regardless. I won't promise that everyday there'll be a chapter, but at the same time, I'd like to keep going while the details are fresh sooo we'll see.
> 
> Fallen Angel by Three Days Grace


	5. What's Next?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Steven's strange act having been seen firsthand, the gems regroup to inform everyone of the troubling news.

It was a silent trip back to the beach house. None of the Gems wanted to discuss what had just happened. Pearl had texted everyone once they were planetside to inform them that information had been found on Steven. Once everyone was gathered, the group noticed the trio's tension, which did not help the already low morale. Finally breaking the ice, Bismuth had elected to address the issue.

"Guys, what happened on the moon base?

"Well, we saw Steven. Thankfully, he's alive and seemingly well but...." Pearl paused.

"But what, if you all saw Steven, then where is he?" cried Lapis.

Pearl continued, "We don't know. It's difficult to explain, but he didn't quite seem himself. Rather than attempt to explain what happened, let me show you all what we saw".

With this, Pearl's gem began glowing, revealing a hologram of the moon base front her point of view. She recounted everything from their arrival to the kidnapped Peridots and Steven's appearance and attitude. Once Steven had left via warp pad, Pearl closed the hologram, leaving only silence in the house as everyone processed the events.

"Well, that's a lot to unpack" Bismuth exclaimed. "But why was he even there to begin with? I mean, it seemed like he was hunting those Peridots, but why?

"We're unsure as of now. The only thing we really know is what little we heard from his quiet conversation with someone via what we believe to be an ear piece, and that something was wrong with his gem." Garnet explained.

"It's odd though", Peridot spoke." His gem was black. The only times anyone has reported seeing gem discoloration of that magnitude is during fusion, which we know this wasn't, with White Diamond's powers, which we can rule out since hers is a 'bleaching' color rather than a total blackout, and with corruption, which I would also rule out as he didn't appear to be corrupted in this sense, especially since his powers seemed to work just as well as before, aside from a bit of discoloration from the normal."

"I'd say it was safe to assume that his two sudden disappearances at the base were a result of his pink powers, specifically his super speed." Garnet concluded.

"Yeah, but this time he didn't glow pink or really any color for it to happen. I mean, we know he had been glowing pink less since his breakdown, but he still usually needed it to happen to access his newer powers" Amethyst added.

"Aside from his gem, that somewhat private conversation was concerning. From what little we could make out, Steven almost seemed like he was reporting to someone, like someone gave him that task of collecting the Peridots at the base" Pearl continued. "We can only guess why though".

"Did you all catch the part about a diamond?" With a mixture of hums and nods from the group, Lapis added, "Do we think the diamonds have gone back to their old ways?

"No way" Connie cried, who had been lost in thought for a moment about Peridot's comment about Steven not being a fusion. "We've all seen how they act around Steven. Plus, they've been calling and getting updates from us whenever they can. If this was their doing, whether it was one or all of them, it still doesn't explain their panicked response at his going missing or his gem discoloration since we know none of the other three diamond's can do that."

Continuing the conversation, Greg took it all in slowly. He didn't know much about the gem stuff, but had attempted to be apart of Steven's life more since he broke the van and with his breakdown. Interjecting himself into the conversation suddenly, he had a thought. "Why don't we go and ask the diamonds? We know Steven did mention a diamond. Even if it probably wasn't intended towards the three we know, maybe one of them knows something we don't. Couldn't hurt to ask right?"

With a sigh, Amethyst spoke up, "I don't know about that. They aren't exactly the same tyrants we all knew, but they still aren't exactly bearable to be around, especially without Steven." A majority of the group was in a silent agreement with her. Even though Era 3 was going well and the diamonds had long since began their attempts to make amends for their actions, there was still a tension between them and the Crystal Gems. It was difficult for either side to come to terms with what the other had done during their conflict. Regardless though, Greg's idea did stick with a few as they couldn't deny that they may be their only decent source at the moment.

"I believe it may be worth a shot. We all still have feelings towards the diamonds yes, but still, its a good possibility that they may know something about this, even if they aren't involved with this incident." Garnet mentioned. "

With this bit of information, the group realized they didn't really have much of a choice aside from continuing a wild goose chase and begrudgingly agreed. As much as it hurt for them to admit, they needed the diamonds help. With this, they all moved to the observatory to contact the diamonds with the communicator Steven usually used. Seconds after making the call, it was picked up and the three diamonds were present on the screen.

"Hello everyone. I assume you all have an update for us? Yellow began.

Taking the lead, Garnet responded, "Yes, though the info we have is a bit alarming. We can say though we found Steven." With that news, a wave of relief hit the diamonds. It was good for them to know that their youngest diamond was still alive. Shards now how they'd react if they had lost Steven forever.

"You say you found him, yet I get the feeling there's more to it than that." White said.

"You'd be right. We found him, but only briefly on the moon base." As Pearl spoke up now, she went into detail the best she could about their incident at the moonbase. While only giving the most practical and important details as to keep the conversation brief, once she mentioned Steven's now black gem, this bit of info seemed to catch White's attention.

"My apologies, but did you just say his gem was black!?!" With a confirmation, a grave look fell over White. "Oh my....Crystal Gems, I believe I may know what is happening with our starlight. Please, if you could all come to Homeworld, I wish to explain what I suspect may be happening."

With an agreement, the gems ended the call and made their way to the nearby warp pad. Leaving Greg and Lapis behind to keep an eye on things, the rest of the group gathered and began their journey to Homeworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in next time for a talk with Giant Women on Homeworld.
> 
> Something that's getting me with these is dialogue. Its becoming painful to continue saying 'Garnet said or Pearl concluded'. Going to try to see with these later chapters if I can't get passed repeating this and attempt better transitions between characters. 
> 
> Moving along though, I still like how the chapters are coming out. Think that they may still be rushed, but otherwise, feeling good with them aside from those two points. 
> 
> Thanks for reading guys. See you all in ch. 6.
> 
> What's Next by Godsmack.


	6. The Memory Remains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon their arrival on Homeworld, the gems converse with the diamonds, finding out that White knows more than they all initially thought.

Arriving on Homeworld, the group was soon met by Spinel, who had been sent to retrieve the group and bring them to the diamonds. 

"Hey guys, lookin good as ever. C'mon, their waiting for ya"

While on the walk to the throne room, Spinel attempted to make conversation to see if she couldn't get more details about what was happening to her friend.

"So, I hear Steven ain't quite himself right now. Ya know, after that whole pink giant lizard phase, I was hoping the kid woulda gotten some kind of break."

"So did we. We're hoping to correct that soon enough though. We can only hope White can give us some information. Have they mentioned anything to you Spinel", Pearl asked.

"No, 'fraid not...seems like White was the only one who had an idea of what might be happening. Even Blue and Yellow seemed as lost as I was."

Letting that unsettling piece of info process, the group soon arrived to the throne room where the three diamonds were waiting. Upon their entry, it was White who spoke first.

"Welcome, all of you. Thank you for coming so quickly. Please have a seat. The explanation is going to take some time". As she finished her sentence, a few pieces of furniture had appeared from the floor. "Pink's pebbles had put these in sometime ago, both for Steven's sake and on the chance he brought any of you with him whenever he came over" Spinel noted to the group. "Guess it was a good thing they went overboard with it". 

Once the group was settled, White began, "Now, to clarify, we understand you all encountered Steven recently, and he had been different, correct". 

"Yes." As she spoke, Pearl stood up. "I know we skipped over some details on the call, but please, let me show you what we saw." With this, the hologram show had begun again to catch everyone up. Upon its end, the diamonds appeared to be in a similar state of confusion as the Gems were before, all except White, who seemed like she was about to relive a nightmare of some sort. "It's just as I thought. Our starlight isn't himself right now and I know who is behind this, though I'll admit, I was hoping to be wrong about this."

"White, who did this? What do you know?", cried Blue. 

"Before I can go into further detail, I need clarification on a few matters. Please tell me, what is it you all know about Homeworld's beginnings?"

"You had emerged, created from an unknown, greater power of some sort, and with your powers and wisdom, you began to create the gem empire, eventually making us diamonds and the court system." Yellow explained. Upon receiving a confirmation nod from all the other gems in the room, White continued.

"That is correct. However, there are some details that have been left out." Noticing the look of several confused faces, she began to elaborate, "Allow me to explain. Eons ago, when I was created, I wasn't the only gem who was made. There was another diamond. My twin....Black Diamond. Upon our creation, we began to do as our history mentions, we began creating more gems for the empire. We both ruled over the slowly rising empire. But, after sometime, we began to see different. You see, Black and I are quite similar, but also very different. We were two sides of the same coin, I believe the Earthlings call it, or rather a Ying Yang scenario. We were both the exact opposite of each other in many ways. For starters, we usually pronounce gems as female, but Black insisted he be called after the male pronouns. We were both the same in that we wanted what was best for the gem empire, but our views on how that should happen varied as well. As you all know, I strived for a perfect empire. Everyone had a role to play and if they couldn't, then they had no purpose. Black however, believed more in honor and loyalty as key principles for the empire. He saw gems as more than just cogs in the machine, and had wanted them to have their own purpose, especially if they were unable to do the thing they were made for. He was a firm believer in second chances. Together for some few millennia, we were able to use our two different sets of morals to achieve greatness for the empire and begin an expansion. After sometime though, as I mentioned earlier, we saw different. We each desperately wanted our morals to outweigh the other's, which led us to the first great gem war. Thankfully, the war didn't last long, somewhere between a century and millennia, the details are a little fuzzy for me, but regardless, we, or should I say, the gems we led, fought a hard battle with a fierce determination. We both had gems that believed in our individual causes, some wanting independence and to be treated as something more while others believed in the order, structure, and purpose of things. For the longest time, we were at an impasse as neither side was losing or gaining enough to make a difference in the effort. The war's end was within grasp however, upon the discovery of our powers. When I discovered my powers, I used them to control the bodies of gems, to interject myself into their forms to gain numbers. Black however, had the opposite. He was able to gain powers true enough, but rather than taking the bodies of gems, he took their minds. He was able to put his morals and ideals into gems, making them believe that his cause was the only cause. With his abilities, he made sure that if gems weren't loyal to him of their own accord, then he would make them loyal. From an outside perspective, this may sound like the war could have continued endlessly, but thankfully, I had the upper hand. Although we both had powers to use, the scope of how we could use it varied greatly. For starters, my powers are used in a laser form, as I am painfully sure you are all aware." She paused and continued shortly after. "However, Black's powers could not be used in the same way. Rather then use it from a distance like I must, Black's abilities required his touch on a gem's stone. Though we were comparable for eons, in the end, I could use my powers to a greater extent, in that I could control more gems at once, at the time ranging around the fifty's without straining myself while Black was only able to use his on roughly four or five gems. With this difference in power and the number of gems on each side beginning to show a difference, I was able to push Black towards submission. Upon his defeat, he was sentenced into exile from Homeworld alongside the few gems that remained loyal to him, few though they were. If I recall correctly, I believe he had a pearl and a ruby with him. Once Black was gone, I continued building up Homeworld in the image I desired, eventually forming the courts and the other diamonds. During that time however, I considered it best to erase the idea of Black Diamond and the war from Homeworld's written history as to avoid any further chances of a rebellion. The rest from there is history as we know it."

"So its likely that Black used his abilities on Steven, that much is clear", Yellow noted. "Do you have any idea how we might rescue Steven though? Surely this power has a weakness aside from his limit of gems."

"Thankfully yes, I know of a few more weaknesses to the power. For starters, he cannot use it on me, nor can I use mine on him. I am unsure as to why we are both immune to each other's abilities, but we did eventually find that out near the end of the war. As for his control, it can be broken in a few different ways. Should Black or the gem he is controlling be poofed, the control is broken. In the case of Black being poofed, all the gems under his control are released. 

"Well that makes things kinda difficult then since Steven doesn't poof." Amethyst added.

"White, you wouldn't happen to remember where Black was exiled to would you?" asked Blue.

"Unfortunately, no I don't. When he was exiled, many of the planets, the Earth included, were nothing more than minor pebbles, still on track to form later in history. Also, many of the planets that were around then have vanished to time, either by a supernova, black hole, or something other."

"So without knowing where Black Diamond is, we have no way of saving Steven then!?!" cried Pearl.

"Not necessarily. There is a third option, but I would rather avoid it if at all possible, as I am sure you all would as well."

Seeing the look of curiosity on the group, she sighed and continued. "There is potentially a way we could poof Steven and break the control, but the method for it is....unorthodox. It's something we found out during the Crystal Gems invasion into my head a few years back. Steven's human friend there, Connie, knows what I'm referring to. With a glance at Connie, the group noticed a look of guilt, fear, anger, and sorrow painted across her face. Electing to attempt to get one of them to elaborate, Yellow spoke up.

"Exactly what do you two know? What is the third option?

"It was an unfortunate turn of events that day, one that you all either don't know or don't remember due to my control of you. I won't go into details right now, as I believe Steven would want to be the one to explain the events that transpired, but I will say it is possible to separate his gem from his human half." White bluntly stated. "In doing so, I believe that we could poof the pink diamond and return control to our starlight."

Leaving that bit of information to hang with group as emotions stirred, it was Garnet who broke the silence. "We will attempt to not consider that as an option for the time being, but that still leaves us with a dilemma. We don't know anything outside of what you have told us. No location for Steven or Black Diamond, nor any idea where to start looking."

"I've actually been thinking about that one for sometime now." Peridot began. "We saw Steven use a warp pad to exit the moon base. What if we could check the history of the warp pad, use that to pin point the location he went to. That warp doesn't have as much usage on a normal basis as the other warps do, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. The only issue is that I wouldn't even know where to begin with that. Sure, I was given the basic knowledge of warp pads in how to design, structure, and attempt repairs of them, but aside from that, I haven't a clue as to where to start."

"I believe one of our technicians could be of assistance for that. "Blue stated. "We have Peridots that were around at the beginning of the creation of the warp system, so they have the knowledge of everything involved with them. We could send them there to check on it's history and move with that info.

Coming to an agreement between everyone, the diamond called the technician out and explained the situation. All to happy to help, the Peridot accompanied the Crystal Gems upon their departure back to Earth. Once there, Garnet accompanied the Peridot as security in case someone unexpected was on the moon base yet again while the others stayed behind and awaited the results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's the big bad for the story, Black Diamond. Had a couple people guess that one right (kudos to them) from the get go. Now, tune in next time for more story related events. 
> 
> The Memory Remains by Metallica.


	7. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet accompanies the Peridot to the moon base while the Earthbound gems have a talk with Connie.

Once the group was Earthside once more, Garnet and the Peridot from the diamonds departed to the moonbase. Upon their arrival, Garnet surveyed the area before allowing the Peridot to begin, as to ensure there wouldn't be any unexpected visitors to interrupt them. Once she gave the all clear, the Peridot began her work, letting the fusion know that it would take sometime, but no too long to complete. With those two on the moon base and progress underway, that left the remaining portion of the group at the temple. Once they got Lapis and Greg up to speed with what they knew, the group elected to take the time to relax while they waited for results. Sometime had passed. Everyone was still located within the main area of the beach house when Pearl had elected bring up a certain topic.

"Connie.....are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine...or at least as fine as one could be considering everything that's happening."

"That's not quite was I'm referring to. I meant with the event a few years back in White's head. She had mentioned that you knew what she was talking about."

Knowing what Pearl was talking about, a look of discomfort crossed the young warrior. "Look, I'd rather not talk about that one. Once we rescue Steven and he's ready, he can tell you guys about it in detail."

"But Connie, knowing what happened might be able to give an idea on the third option White mentioned and how we might attempt it.....should we need to in a worse case scenario."

Sensing the tension growing between the two, Bismuth attempted to keep it from getting any higher. "Pearl, maybe now isn't the be--"

"It **won't** come to that." Connie interrupted. "We'll find another way to save him. Besides, its not my place to say what happened. I was just a witness for the event, not the victim."

"Connie...I know the burden of keeping secrets more than anyone. Its unhealthy and it can tear you apart.

Losing her patience with her mentor, Connie spoke with pain in her voice. "You also know how difficult it is to break a promise Pearl. You literally had to find a loophole to break yours. Not breaking mine is my choice and Steven's choice as well. We discussed that day in detail several times so we might find some kind of closure. It took me months to only stop having nightmares about it. He still thinks about it to this day, both when he's around White and in his dreams. Because of the effect it had on him, I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone what happened. My parents don't even know. Only four people know of what happened that day: Me, Steven, White, and my therapist, and she doesn't even know all details or that it even happened to Steven. I had to keep that discussion as private and void of direct details as I could, so I could actually tell someone about it so I might attempt to even get over it. And this wasn't even something that directly happened to me. Like I said Pearl, I was merely a witness. Imagine how Steven felt, having his gem and human halves separated. It nearly killed him. Its killing me not to be able to share the details with anyone, so that Steven could get the help he deserves. But I can't Pearl.....I just can't. It would ruin me.....and it would destroy him.

The room grew silent. No one wanted to interrupt the conversation turned argument between the two as they were also curious about any kind of details, but no one wanted to push the young woman either.  
Finally, it was Pearl who spoke up to continue to the talk.

"Connie, I'm sorry. Your right. I had to keep my promise not to speak of Rose's millennia old secret by order alone, not choice. I can't imagine the pain you two must have gone through....or the pain either of you still have."

Having calmed down, though still somewhat tense from having to talk about it, even if a little, Connie gave a soft smile. "It's fine Pearl. We all just want to save him and see him get better. I will say though.....it would be best to avoid that option. It has too many risks, both physically and mentally. All we can do is hope we can find Black Diamond and break his control over Steven."

With that said, the group continued minor conversation to pass the time. After about another hour, with it being nighttime outside, Garnet and the Peridot returned.

"So Garnet, what's the word?" Bismuth asked.

"We have a location and its on Earth." The group was glad to hear it was still planetside. Having to perform a galactic search would prove more difficult.

"Well, what are we waiting for, lets go. We have a Steven to rescue." Peridot exclaimed. Having any sort of information regarding his potential rescue was motivation enough for the group to spring to life. Thanking the technician from Homeworld, the other Peridot bid farewell and warped back to Homeworld, but not before offering her services again should the need arise, even going as far as to offer a communicator similar to that of the diamond's version in case the group required any sudden technical support that the Crystal Gem Peridot could not solve.

With her departure, the group, minus Greg, moved to the warp as well to go to the coordinates that were found. Upon warping and arriving at the location, the group found themselves within a dense jungle area. The Gems could guess that the area was a decent distance from the temple as it was now day light versus the nighttime setting they were just in. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary at first, the group elected to spread out and see if they could locate either Steven or something that might point in his direction. After sometime of searching, Lapis found something, and had alerted the group.

Upon regrouping on Lapis' location, the group noticed a structure. It was a decent sized building which seemed to be of Earth design rather than that of Homeworld architect. The building appeared to be a two story structure, with no windows and a front door, which was currently open on the front of the building. The building also had some overgrowth on it from the nearby plant life, giving the group an idea as to how long the building had been here. No signs of security nor recent activity were noticed in the area. Without much other options, the group cautiously advanced towards the facility, attempting to keep any commotion they may make to a minimum. Once at the front door, Garnet took point and glanced into the building, which thankfully had some lights on. Once giving the all clear, the group entered the structure, hoping that they would be able to get any sort of info to help save Steven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will the group find in this mysterious facility? Be a shame if they were to advance the plot in anyway. 
> 
> Thanks for the growing support guys, really appreciate it. Since I ain't working this weekend and my schedule looks like butt for next week, hoping to at least plan and write out a few chapters so that y'all have content on my busy days. Hope to see you all in the next chapter.
> 
> Secrets by OneRepublic


	8. Sound of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems investigate the strange facility. What will they find within its walls?

Upon their entry into the structure, the group noted its appearance. The inside of the building was as worn out as the outside, the only sign of anyone actually using the dwelling was the addition of the lights and a few bits of tech scattered about. The room they had entered was a lobby of some sort. It had a front desk, which was empty, a few chairs, and a door on the other end of the room. Seeing that there was nothing in this first room, the group moved to the other door. Once opened, the group gazed upon a long corridor, with a set of stairs leading to the second floor at the end of the hallway. Leading up to the stairs however were a set of doors, two on the left and two on the right, each leading to a different room. Seeing the multiple options, Garnet pulled the group back into the lobby.

"Alright, we should check each of these rooms before moving upstairs. I want to ensure we don't miss anything that may help us find Steven. We should also make sure we aren't alone."

Upon receiving a series of nods and confirming hums, the group elected to split into teams of three teams of two, and one person by themselves. The teams and their respective doors went as such: Lapis and Peridot with the first door on the left, Pearl and Connie with the first on the right, Garnet and Bismuth with the far left, and Amethyst with the far right. Once everyone was clear on what to look for and had been given the instruction to stay as quiet as possible so they didn't alert anyone potential unknowns on the second floor or in any other room, the teams went out in reverse order (those who had the farthest door exited the lobby first) as to avoid being ambushed.

At the farthest left door, Garnet and Bismuth arrived. Seeing that everyone else was at their door and ready to take their own approach, the two elected a frontal entry. Once they knew the door was unlocked, Garnet slowly slid the door open while attempting to avoid any noise from the process. Thankfully, they were successful and had entered the room. The room did not have much inside it aside from a bed, which seemed to be nearly as new and kept as the lights in the building, and a couple worn out dressers. Checking under the bed and also checking the worn out dressers, which they found only had a couple drawers that would open well enough to store anything, the two found nothing. Deciding the room was clear, the two moved back to the hallway.

In the room across from them, Amethyst had shapeshifted her way in via the opening under the door in case her door would make noise. Once inside her room, she found a few pieces of technology that took up most of the room. They were rectangular shaped and were nearly touching the ceiling. Not knowing much else from that though, she made a mental note to let Peridot know about her findings and shapeshifted back towards the exit.

With the door on the left closest to the lobby, Lapis and Peridot moved to use the same approach as Garnet and Bismuth had. Lapis had summoned the water she was carrying with her in case of anyone on the other side of the room. Since Steven's breakdown and with a couple minor incidents where water would have been useful, Lapis elected to carry a small canteen of water with her whenever she felt that there may have been a chance that she may be in an area without the substance. It wasn't much, but enough that she could at least attempt some kind of resistance or be support for others should the need arise. Opening the door, she entered the room first since she was the only one with an immediate weapon. Once they found that no one was inside, the two found that the room was simply a bathroom. What was striking however is how well kept the room was versus the rest of the building. The toilet and sink inside were both practically sparking clean, with only minor signs of use noticeable. Noting this, the group moved back towards their door.

With the final door on the right nearest to the lobby, Pearl and Connie had chosen to take a slower approach. Wanting to check to see if anyone was inside, Connie put her ear up to the door to attempt to listen as the building was quiet enough that any noise would be easy enough to distinguish. Not hearing anything however, she gave Pearl a nod, giving the gem an all clear to open the door. Inside the room was a set of shelves with canned goods and long lasting food items. Finding it odd that food was being kept at a place that seemed deserted from the outside, the two noted their findings and headed back towards the hallway.

Once everyone was back in the corridor, Garnet flagged everyone down, gave a quiet 'shh' to the group and pointed upstairs, signaling that they were moving upwards. Once on the second floor with the rest of the group not far down the stairs, Garnet noted another corridor similar to the one downstairs. The only difference with this hallway was that it had two doorways this time, one on the left and another on the right. She also discovered that the hallway came to a dead end at the far side. Before making the decision to move, Garnet signaled for Amethyst to come up and join her on point. Knowing she was the best shapeshifter out of the group, Garnet didn't want to take any chances with these final two doors and elected that the most subtle approach would be best to avoid any conflict. The two of them moved to the left door first. Giving the go ahead to the purple quartz, Amethyst shapeshifted and moved under the door frame once more, but only enough to note what was inside. The room appeared to be some sort of armory, with several pieces of the armor Steven had been wearing being present. When she could confirm that no one was in the room, she returned to the fusion and gave a quick head shake, letting her know that the room was clear of anyone. Moving towards the second door, the duo were going to perform the same maneuver when a loud thud from the final room caught their attention. Not daring to move an inch, the two had paused in place while the others watched with an alarmed curiosity from the stairs.

"Shards, blast this Earth tech." said a voice from the room. "Honestly, how hard is it to make a working piece of technology these days."

"Honestly, I'd consider it a miracle we even managed to keep this place running. All this electricity in this barren location, we're lucky enough we could even keep the lights on let along the servers and monitors." A second voice chimed in.

After waiting a few moments, the room seemed to have calmed down again into near silence. With this, Garnet gave Amethyst the go ahead to check the room. Looking under the doorway, she quickly located the source of the voices. A couple Peridots, with blacked out gems. The uniforms they wore were that of the armor she saw in the adjacent room. Seeing that the room had a few computer monitors and a large screen at the far side of the room, the gem moved back towards the hallway. Flashing two fingers at her partner, letting her know that there were two gems in the room, Garnet nodded and let the group at the stairs know with the same signal. Not wanting to risk any commotion within the silent building on the off chance of any nearby gems in the general area, Garnet signaled Amethyst to sneak in and poof the two gems. Giving a confirmation, Amethyst snuck through the door frame and got behind the two gems, who were sitting next to each other thankfully. Once she was in position, she shifted into her larger purple puma form. Using her size to her advantage, she gave the two gems a hard knock to the head. The two gems poofed, both from the force of the attack and the sudden occurrence of it. Once poofed and bubbled, Amethyst gave the go ahead to the rest of the group. Thankfully, the room was big enough for everyone to enter and not crowd the room.

"Alright, well that's that. Now what? "asked the purple gem as she sent the two bubbles back to the temple.

"Well, first off, what all did we find in our respective rooms?" asked Garnet.

Aside from Amethyst's discovery of the armory and her room with the pieces of tech, which Peridot had seemed to believe had served as a server room from the description she received, the only odd thing was the condition of the items they found, from the bed to the bathroom to the inclusion of the canned goods, which the group had found odd since gems didn't need to eat to survive.

After sharing their findings, Peridot had suggested that their next course of action could be to check the computers. If this building was serving as a hub of some sort for information, even if only for storage purposes, they could at least attempt to learn more about Black Diamond and any potential whereabouts of him or Steven.

Coming to an agreement, the group let Peridot come forward. She made herself comfortable and began her search as the group watched quietly. After sometime, Peridot had found a few things. A few files were pulled up on the large screen at the end of the room, which Peridot had figured out how to turn on during her search. Seeing several files, each titled as such: recruits, overall status, and conversion. Electing to begin her search in order of the appearance of the files, she opened the 'recruits' file. Within it, she found a list of gems, with a tab next to each name labeled 'status'. Looking through the list, the group found several gems on the list with status listed either recruited, converted, or pending. As she scrolled through the list, Peridot made a discovery of a few names on the list that stood out, which were Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, and Steven. With the two diamonds, they had a pending status which made sense. The alarming part came with Steven's status though as he was labeled 'converted'. Confirming what the group had feared, Peridot finished her search of the first file and moved to the second one, 'overall status'. On it was a list of percentages and objectives which were too brief to be able to clearly distinguish any sort of meaning. At the bottom of the list was a tab which was labeled 'Status'. The tab itself was color coded as yellow. Without any further info to guide them on the page, the green gem exited the file and moved to the final file on the page, 'conversion'. Within it, a list of gems were listed, some of which the group recalled seeing in the first file with a 'converted' status. Scrolling through the list of names, Peridot hovered over Steven's name once she had found it. Within this location, the group found a few items which appeared to be videos. The first video, labeled entry and attempt #1, was the first one in the series. With the go ahead from the group, Peridot opened the video, allowing it to play on the widescreen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally moving into what happened to Steven after his kidnapping. Been thinking about this for sometime now, glad to have made it.  
> For the next few chapters, gonna be looking at a more Steven-centered POV, with only minor views from the present day Gems.  
> Thanks guys, hope everyone's having a good weekend. See you all in number 9.
> 
> Won't lie, for the title this time around, didn't have much in terms of relevance. Was looking for something related to searching or silence, and out of my playlist of 1000+ songs, I found two (technically three) that applied, those being the Sound of Silence and Say Nothing (Theory of a Deadman). Lot harder to do than I thought it would be, but I ain't no quitter. Appreciate a good challenge here and there, so to heck with it.
> 
> Sound of Silence by Disturbed/Simon and Garfunkel (whichever, depending on your preference).


	9. Master of Puppets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven awakens to meet his kidnappers. What exactly could they want with him?

It didn't take Steven long to remember how he had ended up in this current situation after he woke up. He could only guess how long he was out. Once awake, he found himself suspended in midair, hung up by chains attached to his wrists. After testing the restraints and finding that he wasn't breaking free of his captivity, he began to look around the room. The room itself, which was lit up well enough, was mostly empty. Aside from the one door and no windows in the few directions he could look, he could not see anything else. Before he could see if the restraints could rotate so he could get his bearings on the rest of the room, the door opened. Two figures, one thin and another tall, entered the room. Once the door was shut, the questions began.

"So who are you two? What do you want we me?" the boy asked. Steven couldn't quite get a great look at the two's features aside from their builds as their faces were covered by hoods. 

"So, your Steven Universe. I must say, it is both an honor and a pleasure to meet the one who brought down the gem empire." the taller gem said. Lowering their hood to reveal a dark gray face, the figure gazed upon the young hybrid. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Black Diamond, but you can call me Black.....or BD. Either or works well enough."

' _Black Diamond!? I thought there were only four diamonds'_ , Steven thought. Before he could get lost into thoughts, Black spoke once more.

"I'm sure your quite confused right now as to why I had you kidnapped. Sorry about that by the way. I do hope Pearl didn't cause any lasting damage. 

Wanting to skip the minor points and move to the elephant in the room, Steven asked his questions. "So why did you kidnap me? If you wanted to talk with me, all you had to do was ask."

"Yes, we did consider that, but I needed to keep my presence as discreet as possible, at least until the right time. You see, as I'm sure your well aware, not many people in the universe knew of there being a fifth diamond. I have White to thank for that, she made sure I would be long forgotten. Approaching you for a talk, especially for one of this magnitude, would not have ended as well as I would want, for either party."

Growing somewhat annoyed, both at the fact that this new diamond thought it best to kidnap him for a talk and at his vague answer, Steven asked again, "Okay but that doesn't really answer the question of _why_ you kidnapped me. What exactly do you want with me?"

Sensing his frustration, Black moved to the main point, "Steven, I wanted to talk with you about a proposition. You see, me and my sibling, White have had our disagreements. We're twins who emerged roughly around the same time, but we couldn't quite rule an empire together. You could say we're both opposite to each other, a sort of up versus down, a left versus right type scenario. We both wanted the same thing at first, which was to rule and expand the empire, but our methods and morals differed too greatly to rule together. We fought, and in the end she won, casting me out. Now here we are, eons later, and I want to reclaim my place in the empire...and remove White from hers. "

"So what's your offer then?" Steven wondered.

"I need your help to complete my goals. I am attempting to build an army so I may take back what is mine."

"And if you were to succeed, then what?"

"I would continue the growth of the empire, making more gems and allowing the gem species to prosper within the universe. There is much more to this growth than most would realize and I would still be aiming for peace with other races, but as it stands right now, the main goal is to reclaim my throne. So, without going into further details, at least not until I can assure your assistance, I ask you, will you join my cause and help me set things right?"

Leaving the room in a fit of silence for a few moments, Steven pondered his request with the info he was given. ' _He wants to expand the empire still, yet claims to want to continue peace with others. Unless he knows of a different way to create gems, then such a thing would be almost impossible.'_ Sensing that some major details were being set aside, Steven elected to ask more questions before giving Black an answer. "How will you expand? As far as anyone knows, its still impossible to create new gems without harming a planet. Your idea for peace would be difficult to achieve if you go with that idea."

"I will admit, there will be some hiccups down the way. But, no good plan is without its flaws. In time, a solution will come to life. But, I will not give more info than that, not until I know you can be trusted. After all, if word of this were to get out, achieving my goals would become something difficult to achieve. So, I ask again, will you join me?"

The room sat in another few moments of silence. Having given it a good deal of thought with the information he has been given, Steven gave his answer. 

"No. I'm sorry, but I can't. We've worked too hard to come this far just to throw it all away. White and the other diamonds have changed for the better and so has the empire. Sure they aren't able to expand right now, but most everyone is still satisfied with Era 3. So, no, I won't join your cause Black Diamond. However, I want to give you a counter offer. 

Intrigued, Black elected to let the boy continue. 

"Come with me to Homeworld and present yourself to the other diamonds. I'm sure with my help, they would be able to work something out. You're a diamond as well, so that must count for something in your favor. Although status is no longer a priority in the gem empire, we still need leaders and gems who are willing to improve both themselves and the empire for the better. We could attempt to find your idea of peace, especially if we could grasp another way to create gems without harming others. So, what do you say?"

Now it was Black's turn to think in silence. However, it didn't take him as long to get an answer. "No, my young diamond. I decline your offer. I do apologize, but I will see things done my way." With a look of disappointment and worry flashing across Steven's face, the eldest diamond continued. "I will say though, it was a tempting offer. Almost had me considering it for a good minute there. Now then, I believe we should move on to business. I gave you a chance to join my ranks willingly, as I have will all gems in my army, but seeing your denial, disappointing as it was, leaves me with no other option." Sensing the diamond's intent, the other figure, whom Steven had guessed to be Black's Pearl, had moved towards the young man. Reaching for his shirt, she lifted the bottom of it up so the pink diamond was visible and present. Beginning to be filled with dread, Steven attempted to figure out what was about to happen.

"Hey, what're you doi--"

"I am sorry it came to this Steven. But, you will assist my cause and join my ranks, and if you won't join up willingly, then I will make you." Black stated. Holding out his finger, which had began glowing a pitch black color, he moved towards Steven's gem and gave it a light tap on the surface of it. Retracting his finger, the three of them watched as the pink diamond began glowing a mixture of black and pink, switching and swirling between the two. "I suspect this will take some time, what with you being part organic and also part diamond. We'll be back to check on you later Steven. Just remember, I did give you a choice." And with that statement, the two figures left the room, leaving the young hybrid to deal with whatever it was that Black had done. Steven didn't feel any different at the moment, though he could feel an intense tension coming from the pink diamond, almost as if a battle we're being waged within the stone. Not able to do anything else, Steven was forced to wait and hope that whatever it was Black did would be over soon.

  
2 hours later

Steven still wasn't quite sure what was happening. After some time, he still felt the tension in his gem, but as time went by, a wave of exhaustion came over the boy, as if he hadn't slept in days. Unable to fall asleep though due to the effects he gem was currently undergoing, he had no choice but to wait.

-Present Day-

Seeing that the video was the same for the duration of the time, the group at the facility pondered about what they had just witnessed.

"So that was Black Diamond. Gotta say, he seemed a lot nicer than White had made it seem", Amethyst said.

"Well, she did mention that he was a believer of honor and loyalty . That, and we know he's the opposite of White. Honestly, versus how she was when we first met her, I'd say this is accurate enough" Pearl stated.

"It's weird though. He obviously used his power on Steven, but from what we saw, nothing was really happening. He still seemed like Steven, just a bit more tired than usual", Lapis wondered.

"He did say it could take sometime since Steven is one of a kind. But without knowing more, we don't know exactly what happened. Sure the video told us how he changes gems and what his plans are, even if they skipped over the main details, it still doesn't give us anything to work with. No locations, no results, nothing" Bismuth exclaimed.

Moving past the thoughts of the others, Garnet asked her questions. "Peridot, you said that there were a few videos correct? Maybe those have more information on them we can use.

Shifting her attention back to the screen, the green gem looked through the file. "Yes, there still are other videos. Hang on, I'll bring up the next one". The next video, labeled follow up #1, came up on the big screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throwing a bit of tidbits into the story there of BD's intentions, though there is more hidden beneath the surface than he initially led on, but more on that later. As for the now, we'll catch up with how Steven's treatment is going next time.
> 
> With BD, he has a voice similar to that of Pagin Min from Far Cry 4. For those who don't know the character, it was a calm, yet ominous approach, only showing real tone of emotion in the voice when upset or angered. I am also trying to do BD's personality of that character, but I promise nothing at the same time. Regardless though, that was BD. More on him later in the story.
> 
> Thanks guys!
> 
> Master of Puppets by Metallica.


	10. This Is Gonna Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black Diamond returns to check on Steven, only to find less than promising results, leading him to take a step towards another approach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: slight torture within the chapter. It isn't anything too spicy, but enough to mention (because what's a good story without something to give the villain some motivation to be disliked even more right)

Steven wasn't quite sure how long had passed. After Black had exited the room, he was left to wait in silence as Black's power was attempting to do....something. He wasn't really quite sure what it was supposed to be doing. Black had mentioned making him join the cause, but so far, all that had happened besides his gem turning between different shades of black and pink was that he had grown exhausted. The only times he could recall being anywhere near this tired, if not worse, was during Spinel's attack as he attempted to fix everything, and after the gems saved him from his self corruption. Whatever Black had done to him, it was literally draining the energy from both him and his gem. Despite how tired he had become, he found himself unable to fall asleep. His anxiety of what was to come and the tension coming from his gem had made sure that sleep was something that wasn't going to be happening for sometime. After awhile though, he found his body's refusal to let his mind drift away was rewarded as Black and his Pearl, who was not cloaked anymore, leaving the black gem on her left shoulder to be visible, arrived back to check on the hybrid. 

"Well, we knew this may be difficult due to your unique physiology, but I must say that I'm still shocked. I was sure that my power would still be enough to overcome both your gem and organic resistances. I suppose we'll have to try something different." Black announced.

"What exactly did you do to me?" Steven asked.

"To keep it brief as I am still on a schedule here, lets just say I have a power similar to that of White's, which I am aware that you are all too familiar with. Though, I'll admit, my power doesn't have nearly as much versatility as her ranged attack does. Regardless though, it usually works well enough, but with you, it seems to have just tired you out. Even your gem half seems to be able to put up a decent fight. The only gem I've seen even come close to this kind of resistance was White, and we both quickly found our immunities to each other's abilities. Oh well, no matter. I had planned for this in case this occurred. We'll have to move you though seeing as how treating you as a standard captive in a pending status won't do anymore."

With having been said, Black's Pearl moved towards Steven. Checking the pink diamond one last time to confirm Black's observation, the trio saw that the pink was beginning to overshadow the black, which was becoming less prominent as time passed. With this, she lowered the shirt and before Steven could even register what was happening, he found himself struck on the head, knocking him out. The last thing he heard before succumbing to unconsciousness was something about moving him to a Beta area.

  
-Present Day-

  
The group watched as Steven's now unconscious body was being released and carried out of the room towards what the two gems referred to as the 'Beta facility' so that they could, as they just mentioned, 'wear him down'. Looking through the files once more to see if she could find the next recording, Peridot located the video next in line labeled 'follow up #1a: Beta.' She opened the video, hoping to find out exactly what was in store at the Beta facility.

  
-Steven POV

  
Steven found himself regaining consciousness, though he wasn't sure how long had passed. Although he was grateful for the sleep, despite the means it took to get it, it didn't stop him guessing that he had been out for a good while, seeing as how a few things had changed. For starters, the room he was in, although similar to the previous one, was different as this room had a giant window on his left which he could not see through. It reminded him of those windows investigators would use to view someone without their knowing during an interrogation. Attempting to move once again, he noticed two more differences. He restraints, which had been chains before, were now circular wrist restraints, hovering around each wrist. Even though these weren't touching him, they applied a force that both kept him suspended and that prevented him from moving. The other thing he noticed was that he was wearing different clothes, which seemed more like armor than anything. The were a dark gray set, going from his neck to his feet, which he was disappointed in finding that they were covered now as he rarely wore closed toes shoes. In the center of the armor, slightly above his sternum, were three red dots, two small and one bigger, with the bigger one in the center. Before he could look around anymore to see if anything else had changed, the door opened as Black and his Pearl walked into the room.

"Hello again my young diamond. I hope you slept well. Tell me, how do you like the armor I've given you?" Black asked.

Not wanting to admit that they were somewhat comfortable, though not as much as the cotton attire he had before, Steven elected to remain neutral. "There alright. Not as good as my clothes were though."

"Yes, sorry about those. We had to dispose of them after they were traded out for the armor. Although it isn't the best in comfort, its design and protection is what's treasured. Alongside providing a decent thing of protection, its also one size fits all. You could literally turn into that giant pink lizard you had a few months back and you would find that the armor would increase in size with you. We were able to steal a few of them off an old warrior race sometime ago before they became extinct. I believe their planet, alongside their people, were killed off by a meteor of some sort, not quite sure really. The details are a little fuzzy, since stories like to get mixed up throughout the galaxy." Pausing for a second, he continued, "Regardless though, we found a way to reverse engineer the tech and make our own thankfully. But enough stories, we have a task to do here. Pearl, if you would."

Giving a nod towards the diamond, the gem moved towards Steven and began checking his restraints. While she did this, Black continued. "It seems your gem half was able to ward off my abilities. A shame I cannot test my theories more, I'd like to confirm if this is because of your organic side being a factor or if its because your a diamond. Having that distinction could help more down the line. A shame really. I suppose we'll have to cross that bridge the hard way later on when we get there."

Having finished her inspection, the Pearl gave the diamond a thumbs up, confirming that everything seemed alright with the restraints. "Thank you Pearl. Now Steven, with your apparent resistance to my abilities, I am forced to try a different method, one I would have rather avoided. From what we could figure out, it seems that the combination of your gem and organic halves provide a resistance to my powers. It also doesn't help that your gem half is naturally stronger than a normal gem, what with it being a diamond. As I'm sure you noticed, my power did have an effect on you, in that it tired you to the point of exhaustion within a few hours. However, your organic half refused to allow the foreign substance to work its way into your gem fully, which is why I suspect you tired out so quickly. With this in mind, I'm afraid that I must do a series of tests to lower these resistances one at a time to allow the conversion to take full effect. We're going to start by breaking your body down, so that it won't be able to properly resist the effects of my abilities or the other tests. Doing so however, will be quite painful for you I'm afraid.

With that being said, Black gave a nod towards the large window. After a few moments, the restraints began glowing, sending out several arcs of electricity throughout the boy's body. Taken off guard by the sudden burst of pain, Steven screamed and squirmed, attempting to break the restraints, but with no luck. After a few moments, which felt like an eternity to the young hybrid, the cuffs flickered off, leaving the boy to hang in the air once more. 

"That was what I wanted to avoid. The process will be long I assume, but eventually, your body will stop fighting. From there, we will move to the next step." Moving towards the door, the diamond suddenly turned once more and spoke. "Oh and before I forget, I'm sure your wondering, even if only a little. We expect this process to take some time. Because of this, we had to modify your armor to allow it feed your body the nutrients it needs to survive. As much I would want to test the limits of your unique physiology, you are one of a kind, and even methods such as those are too harsh for me to wish on anyone. So worry not, you won't starve or become dehydrated while under my care." With that, the two gems left the room, leaving Steven alone with who or whatever was behind the glass. After a few moments, the cuffs powered up again, giving another series of shocks to the boy. Still naturally resisting, all he could do was scream and squirm, hoping that an end would soon come. With that, the video ended. 

  
-Present Day-

  
The group was speechless. A mixture of sadness and anger washed over the Crystal Gems as they were forced to watch the young man they all treasured be tortured towards literal submission. Taking a few minutes to get their bearings, some exiting into the hallway while others stayed in the room to process the events that had transpired, they all eventually regrouped in the computer room to continue their investigation, each with a renewed passion to save the boy and right the wrongs that were committed upon him. Bringing the list of videos back up, Peridot located the next clip in the series labeled 'Beta follow up #1'. With a shaky hand, afraid of finding out what else they may have done to Steven, she opened the video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor kid just can't get a break from anything at this point. Well, at least it can't get worse for him.....right?
> 
> For anyone who is curious and/or confused about my description for the new restraints Steven has, they look something like this (skip to 20 seconds on the video to see an immediate comparison, minus the glowing.....or don't Watch the whole video if you wish, its a good scene from a good game. Anyway, think of it more less an already glowing cylinder and more a solid matter cylinder circling around the wrist as these ones are).   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZA_UW9Gr_Q&t=22s
> 
> Thanks for the read guys and gals. See you all in chapter 11.
> 
> This Is Gonna Hurt by Sixx:A.M.


	11. Atlas Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven is having a less than good time as the test he's put through comes to an end. Just what else could Black have in store for the young man though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: still got that slight torture warning.

Ten hours. It took ten hours of straight electric torture, with only minor breaks here and there so that the individuals behind the glass could record the current results, to break down Steven's organic half. Although it took ten hours, to Steven, it felt like days. With a final test of his organic half, those recording the results and pulling the switch could come to the conclusion that Steven was broken, physically speaking. During the final usage of the cuffs, it was shown that Steven's body had stopped naturally resisting, as it lacked the energy to do so. Unable to scream or squirm anymore, the results Black Diamond had been looking to achieve had come to fruition. Entering the room and laying his eyes upon the hybrid, Black began.

"Hello again Steven. Seems that the test was successful." His results being confirmed by Steven's near lack of response, only receiving slow head raise towards the eldest diamond, only to drop it back down. Noticing his inability to respond appropriately, Black elected to continue. "Well, even so, I am sorry it had to happen. I will say though, your natural resistance surprised me. I knew you were tough, but you far exceeded my initial beliefs on how long the process would take. Now, thankfully, we can say that the test is over and completed, so we won't be needing to do that anymore. On the darker side of things though, the next tests are less then pleasant, though I wouldn't think they would last quite as long as the previous one." Moving towards the young man, who was still suspended in the air, he reached out with his hand and lifted Steven's chin up so that he could look at the eldest diamond. Upon gazing at the captive hybrid, Black mentally noted the now empty look in Steven's eyes. What had once shown great light and activity had now been reduced to a simple flicker of emotion without much else being left present. "You see Steven, for the next couple processes, we will begin to work on your gem and your mind." Retracting his hand, Black continued. "Your body has been broken down with no energy left behind for it to fight or assist your gem half. However, I would wish to avoid having to retry a conversion for a third time. To avoid this, I'm afraid we must ensure that your gem and mind are no longer able to assist each other, at least not during these upcoming tests." Leaving the words in an air of silence for Steven to process, he slowly began to catch on to what he believed Black was suggesting would happen. With this in mind, Steven attempted to move about, face forming into one of discomfort, sadness, and fear. Sensing his emotions, Black decided to pull the band aid off quickly rather than leave the boy in suspense. "I see that you have caught on to what I'm talking about. Yes, your fears are correct Steven. We must separate the gem and human halves to complete the process. It isn't something I wished to do, after all, it is quite the extreme method with quite a few risks. However, its benefits are also desired in that it will almost guarantee success" 

With this said, Pearl moved forward towards Steven. Once she was close enough, her gaze set upon the pink diamond, which had been present thanks to a cut out in the armor. The Pearl began to grip the diamond's edges, working her way around the gem to ensure a safe removal. While she did this, Black continued. "Now, once we have your gem removed, we can begin our next two tests. Although this shouldn't take nearly as long as the previous test, I will warn you that it may still take some time. But, don't worry. I've noted the effects on how the human half reacted without the gem for a sustained period from the last time you had it removed by my sibling. I have several members of my staff who have assured me that the process will complete before your human half expires. I am also keeping them on standby should your health take a sudden turn for the worst." Finishing his statement, the Pearl was able to grip the edges of the gem and with a low 'pop', the pink diamond was separated from the body. Bubbling the gem and handing it to Black Diamond, the Pearl exited the room while Black stayed behind. "Though I will admit that the circumstances that led to discovering how your halves could be separated were not in good taste, I am grateful we were able to learn about the process. Have to keep the gem bubbled though. Wouldn't want a pink you running around with as much power as it packs." 

Returning in the room, Pearl had brought with her a device on wheels. The device had a claw attached to it, something that looked like it came from an old children's claw machine you'd find at restaurants and arcades, though this claw had a bit more firm handles than it's more dull counterpart. Unbubbling the gem and placing it in the claw's grasp, the machine sent out a quick series of shocks to the gem. "I'm sure your curious about what we just did. Nothing too elaborate, we just needed a way to contain your gem without the fear of it reforming. Those shocks sent the gem into a dormant state for the time being. The process is quite reversible though so no need to worry there. Now, shall we get down to business."

Taking his now glowing black finger to the diamond once more, Black gave it a light tap, allowing his darkness to spread through the diamond again. Much like last time, the diamond sputtered a mix of black and pink colors. "Now with that part taken care of, lets get you set up. Conveniently, you were already wearing the equipment needed to tackle your organic half for this process. That armor we've given you doesn't just provide protection. It also has a variety of other uses, from a warning beacon to organic rejuvenation." Giving another nod towards the glass window, the center red dot on Steven's chest began to glow. "And there we go. The process isn't immediate, but over time, it will break you down. Don't worry too much about it though. You'll still keep your memories, emotions, and general personality, but your allegiance will belong to me" Moving towards the door now, as he was leaving Black made one final remark. "I'll be back to check on you once I have been informed that the process is complete Steven." And with that, the door shut and Steven was left to wonder just what he was about to experience. Though he was still lacking energy, he made the effort to glance towards his gem, which was still in his sight, something he wasn't sure if it was meant as a gift to know it was still there or a curse, knowing that it was under attack. Without much else to do, Steven was forced to wait while both his gem and himself began to be molded into a design that would serve Black Diamond. 

  
-Present Day-

To say that the tension in the room could be felt would be an understatement. The group, minus Connie, who stepped out of the room to avoid having to watch Steven's gem be torn away again, and Amethyst, who stepped out to provide the young girl comfort, continued watching the video as unlike the last video which cut off for the duration of the torture, this video played through the process, most likely since it didn't take as long to complete. The gems watched as the boy began to show signs of something happening. They would watch him shake his head and mutter things quiet enough that only bits and pieces were picked up, ranging from "no" to "head". The gems had a good guess as to what he was attempting to convey. As his struggles continued, over time, they saw him move about less. With only the occasional twitch of the body, Steven hadn't made much of a conscious movement in some time when the gems, who were rejoined only recently by Connie and Amethyst, saw Black reenter the room. Still seeing that he lacked the energy to move about freely, Black looked to the glass and ordered him to be released. Dropping to the floor with a low 'thud', the eldest diamond moved to the machine that held the pink gem. Now a full on black gem, Black gave the gem a few shocks, most likely to reverse the effects they had placed on it, and released the diamond. Now grasping the gem, he moved towards Steven. Once close enough, he knelt down and set the stone in front of the boy. "Here. It's yours again Steven. Become whole once more." Taking a glance at the diamond, Steven hesitantly grabbed the gem and held onto it as if his life depended on it (which the gems guessed it might've in any other circumstance with the talk of risks that they've heard a few times now). With this, a bright light began to envelope the two. Unlike his first time fusing with the diamond, Steven had stayed silent this time. No laughter, no joy, nothing more than a death grip on his gem. When the light stopped, the audience in the video and those watching saw Steven, fully formed once again with the black pink diamond fully present in his stomach. After he reformed, the group watched as Steven attempted to stand, but in the process, found himself falling to the floor, exhaustion from the tests still present. Seeing that the boy had passed out, Black ordered him moved to a nearby area to allow him to rest. And with that the video ended. 

The gems weren't sure what to think. Before anyone could make a conscious attempt at processing the info they witnessed, Peridot noted that there was one final video in the series labeled 'Beta follow up #2'. With the final piece of the puzzle only a click away, the technician started the video. 

The video opened up to the same room, though this time rather than being suspended in the air, the group saw Steven sitting in a chair. Somewhat relieved that they didn't have to watch him be tortured or be subjected to further tests, the groups relief was broken when they saw Black enter the room. Noticing that his energy had returned, the group watched as Steven pinned his gaze towards Black Diamond, who was now in front of the boy. "Hello Steven. I see that your well rested and have some energy back."

To the group's horror, they heard Steven respond. "Yes my diamond. The tests you put me through earlier really took it out of me." There was no real tone behind it. He had said all that as if it were a normal conversation.

"Yes well, they were still necessary to complete the conversion, which I am glad to see worked out as planned. So Steven, now that we got past the hard part. I wish to confirm the results of your test even further. Sometime ago, before we began the tests, I gave you a choice. I asked you if you would join my cause, to which you had originally denied my request. Now that you have had sometime to think it over, I would ask again. Steven Universe, will you aid me in my mission to bring a new change to the gem empire and to bring about peace in the universe?"

With only a seconds hesitation as to let the words process, Steven gave his answer once again. "Yes my diamond. I will join your cause." And with that being said, the final video showcasing the finale of Steven's forced captivity ended, leaving the gems once again in silence with the knowledge that the young man they've all come to know and love, was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it. The boy's been turned to the dark side (pun intended). Just what will the gems do to bring him back in one piece....if they can do so that is.
> 
> Originally didn't want to go from the conclusion of the electric torture to his completed turn over in one chapter, but felt that the video's had run their course. That, and I found that both this chapter and the next would have most likely been shorter than normal if I split up his official turn and his gem being separated as I still intended to end it where I did.
> 
> Thanks all for the read. We shall continue on in chapter 12.
> 
> Atlas Falls by Shinedown


	12. Remember Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gems regroup after learning about the discomforting info regarding Steven. Moving forward, the group lays out a plan of action to hopefully figure out their next step.

With the videos watched, the group stayed in a stunned silence with a tension that could shatter. No one wanted to believe what they had witnessed, yet the proof couldn't be denied. Steven had been turned, and was now being forced to serve Black Diamond. After a few moments, it was Pearl who broke the silence.

"We need to fix this. We need to find Steven and fix this now. We need...we...we need to--" Unable to contain her emotions anymore, she slid down to her knees in a fit of sorrow. Voicing the group's emotions, aside from their rage, they sat in silence for some time still, until Garnet came forward. Wiping away a few tears and placing a hand on Pearl's shoulder, getting the thin gem's attention, Garnet gave reassurance. "Don't worry Pearl....everyone. We will save him. For now though, we need to see what else we can figure out."

Coming back down from her own mini breakdown, Peridot chimed in. "I could attempt to look further at the data they have here. It'll take some time, but I'm confident there is more to find aside from these videos. I should probably also figure out who was on their list to kidnap. With any luck, we could give a fair warning to the gems in Little Homeworld so they are at least aware of the growing threat."

In agreeance, Garnet continued. "That'll work. Bismuth, Lapis, I want you two to stay with her in case anyone shows up. When your done here, tear the place down. We shouldn't leave anything behind for Black to use in the future."

"Okay, but what'll the rest of you be doing, Bismuth questioned.

"I want to unbubble those Peridots we poofed and see if we can get any info from them. With any luck, we could at least get a general idea of our next step."

Coming to an understanding, the B-Team stayed at the facility while the remainder of the group warped back to the temple. Once there, they entered the burning room. Even with the room having been vacated and given plenty of space since the corrupted gems were cured, they still used it occasionally to send bubbled gems or items back to the dwelling. Quickly locating the two bubbles, the gems popped the bubbles and quickly noticed a change in the gems, in that they were no longer black, but rather had returned to their natural green color. Seeing the proof of White's claim that a poofed gem would lose Black's control over it was a sight for sore eyes for the group as the info would prove to be valuable should anyone else fall victim to his power. Setting the gems on the ground, it didn't take long for one of the Peridot's to reform.

Once reformed, the gem took a look around, seemingly in surprise, but beginning to mutter aloud. "What...where. But I thought...." Seeing the Crystal Gems, the inevitable questions began. "What happened? I was under Black Diamond's control. The last thing I remember was looking through a database....and now I'm here.....I'm....I've been freed." She exclaimed. "I'm free. But how? How did you do it? I thought I was a goner, forced to slave away for another gem once more for the rest of eternity."

Looking to calm down the gem, Garnet stepped forward, hands motioning for her to calm down. "Easy. We found you two at a facility in a dense forest. We poofed you and sent you back near Little Homeworld." Moving towards the gems, the small green technician couldn't calm herself as she was ecstatic to be able to taste freedom once more. "Thank you Crystal Gems. You have my sincerest thanks and gratitude. I thought that was it. It felt like Era 2 all over again, but worse. It....it was awful." As she said this, the other Peridot gem began to reform. Once reformed, she had an identical reaction. After another careful explanation and once more awaiting for her to calm down, the two Peridots were invited to the beach house to be questioned. Once settled, the gems began to see what they could figure out from the two gems, one of which had elected to answer their questions while the other simply gave nods and hums of agreement to confirm anything the other had said. 

"Now, although you have been freed from his control, I've noticed that you still remember being controlled at all." Garnet noted.

"Yes, we were still fully aware of our actions and thought processes while under the effects. From the time we were converted to our poofing, we remember everything in between. It was an odd feeling. We were aware of what we were doing, both physically and mentally, and yet, it was almost like we weren't the ones doing the actions, like someone else had taken the metaphorical wheel so to speak. That aside though, were you all expecting us to not have any recollection of it?" the two pondered.

Speaking up, Amethyst gave some potential insight. "Seems all that talk about being the near exact opposite in every way checks out.

"We experienced a power like this before from White Diamond. Using her as a comparison, we believed that the effects would be similar in this case. "Pearl explained. "Honestly, it was a miracle enough that you two were freed at all, as we only had information from her to go off of. I am sorry about this though, but we are somewhat on a time crunch. Please, can either of you give us any info from what you remember. A location, your tasks, anything?"

"Yes. For starters, after we were converted sometime ago, we were tasked with safeguarding the data within the servers at the facility you found us at. We also were tasked with keeping the facility up and running, which was a miracle all its own, what with us being set up in the middle of a forest. No generators, no nearby power plants, nothing but our genius to keep the place powered and running."

Not wanting an explanation on how exactly they were able keep the place powered, the group elected to skip past that point and move on. The green gem continued, "As for anything we know, there is a bit, though not much. Black Diamond wanted to keep everyone on a need to know basis, only giving out the information necessary to each gem for their tasks in case someone were to be released from his control. I can tell you a few things though. First off, I can tell you that Steven was at the facility for sometime, henceforth why we had to keep the bedding, canned goods, and the bathroom still available. He would stop by from time to time, though it has been awhile since he was stationed there. I assume he was given a new task from the diamond, making it to where he was unable to visit the facility anymore. I can also tell you some of Black's plan, though not the full laid out version unfortunately. We know he wants to take over Homeworld and dethrone the diamonds, especially White Diamond. From there, it seemed he planned on continuing the Era 2 mission of expanding the empire, even at the cost of some organic rich worlds. Aside from that though, I don't know much else about his end goal." 

"That much we knew already. We watched some of the videos about what had happened to Steven. During one of the earlier ones, Black gave a brief description to Steven, though some details were clearly left out." Garnet clarified.

"I see. Well, did you also find out about the other facilities?" Seeing the somewhat confused looks on the groups faces, the Peridot continued. "As I'm sure your aware, even if only slightly from the video's of Steven's conversion, there are other facilities. Although I don't know how many there are exactly, I do know of three, one of which being the one you all invaded. That one was the Charlie facility. The other two are Alpha and Beta. The Alpha facility was used for holding gems in captivity until they were converted. The Beta facility was more a science lab. They did experiments, tests, and, on the very rare occasion, held special captives there who needed worked on in a number of.....unique ways, as I'm sure your all aware. Although I don't know the location of the Beta facility, I can tell you about Alpha and where it's at."

Becoming hopeful at the bit of information given that could actually give them a step in the right direction, spirits began getting raised once more. "Could you take us there? I won't ask you to accompany us into the facility, we just need the location. Garnet explained. Feeling that it was the least she could do for her savers, the gem agreed without hesitation. With this, the group moved to the warp pad with the destination in mind, each one of them hoping that they could learn more about Black's plan and Steven's location from the Alpha facility. With a flash of light and the familiar sound, the group warped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Gems got their next big move planned What they'll find though....who can say for sure?   
> As for the B-Team, we'll catch up with them in the near future (yes, it won't be a simple look around, find stuff, burn the place down and roast marshmallows over the large fire, stuff will happen).
> 
> Thanks everyone.
> 
> Remember Everything by Five Finger Death Punch.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading. This is my first official fic, so please let me know what you think.


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